May 27, 2009

I'm so tired of oatmeal raisin cookies (although that's not to say I won't eat them when they're available). Why should raisins get all the glory? There are many other and arguably tastier dried fruits out there. Blueberries and cranberries, for example. Better yet, how about CINNAMON APPLES?

You may recall that I received a bounty of treats from Oh! Nuts a while back. Among the goodies were some macadamia nuts (used in some mighty tasty and tropical Aloha Bars) and some sliced dried apples. I've been munching on the apples ever since, but I thought they'd be a unique and perfect add-in to some hearty oatmeal cookies.

Believe it or not, I don't have a go-to oatmeal cookie recipe, but the tried-and-true King Arthur Flour site seemed like a reasonable place to start. While the cookie base was good, I'm certain it could be better, so I won't be stopping my search here. Let me know if you have a winning recipe.

I said that the cookies were good, and I meant it. Chewy and soft, with an appropriate batter-to-mix-in ratio. The apples were definitely a welcome addition, especially since I smothered them with cinnamon before rehydrating them in hot water. The crunchy pistachios and tart cranberries didn't hurt either--I particularly enjoyed their vibrant green and maroon colors.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets.In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, salt, and vinegar. Beat in the egg, then the baking soda, flour, and oats. Stir in the apples, cranberries, and pistachios.Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on a rack.

I love the look of the bright green in the cookies. Do you think it'd work with some granny smiths right from the get-go? I saw a salted oatmeal cookie recently that I keep looking for an excuse to try out. : ) Go salt!

Great thinking! I love the idea of dried apples in an oatmeal cookie, and the cranberries and pistachios are nice additions too. There's a Martha cookie that I like a lot which is oatmeal, peanut butter, choc chip, and peanuts. It's more than just an oatmeal cookie, of course, but it's a favorite of mine. (would also be great with dried apples added)

sounds like a great combination! I really like my oatmeal cookie recipe - I like having more oats than flour, and I use the same principles I discovered that make the best chocolate chip cookies (melted and cooled butter and mixing very well with the sugar!)

I don't have a go-to oatmeal cookie recipe, either. I've been looking and trying but all of them seem to fall a little short. I love the idea of adding apples to the cookies in place of raisins, though. I bet that's so tasty!

I love a good oatmeal cookie. I love your additions to the dr. repellant cookies :)- I think they'd be great with my coffe right now!I made oatmeal cookies last week and was in such a hurry, I forgot the baking soda. I had little rocks!

I got some loot from Oh Nuts! over the holidays and you are so right about those cheerful colors! Pistachios and cranberries...nomnomnom... These little nuggets are looking mighty fine being the sucker I am for anything with apples and cinnamon. Ah - yep.